Summer Heat
by zhuang
Summary: Kenshin is forcefully dragged to the beach by Sano, Megumi, and an azure-eyed stranger. Kenshin suspects that they are up to something. Match-making? Definitely. Cakes? Included. What if you equate them together? An Unforgettable Birthday. KxK (side SxM AxM), One-shot, Completed.


I feel kind of ridiculous writing a fic right smack in the middle of my busiest weeks. But I have things to get off my chest for good measure. Hopefully, I'll get this done well.

Rated M for mature and sensual content; it gets worse (or better?) at the ending.

Might be monotonous to some. If you want saucy smooching moments, they are mostly at the ending, as warned above. Not much, but still there.

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><p><strong>Summer Heat<br>**_**& The Surprise Birthday Party**_

It was a dark, humid night, but not uncommon for summer. Kenshin irritably pushed the key into his apartment door knob, trying to fight down the urge to bang the wall open or slam it shut. It wouldn't do any good to have his neighbours' complaints adding on to his already foul mood. He dropped his suitcase on the floor, took off his shoes and threw them down with a little more force than he should have, and made his way to the bed. He was tired, and was grateful for the benefits of living in a small one-person apartment. Well, only slightly grateful.

Kenshin let himself fall face first onto the bed with a sigh, closing his eyes in little relief to the throbbing of his temples. All was silent except his breaths, until he felt a vibration coming from his pocket. He inwardly groaned, hoping that it was his headache that had somehow spread to his groin and NOT the vibration of his phone. But after the relentless, rhythmic vibration, he dug out his phone and pressed it half-heartedly to his ear.

"Hello." He muffled out with his face pressed against the sheets of his bed, mentally congratulating himself for not having lashing out "Piss off" instead.

"Yo, Kenshin! Whaccha up to?" Came a cheery voice from the opposite line. There was so much buzzing, so Kenshin gathered that he was outside somewhere. Not unusual.

"Sano," Kenshin said through gritted teeth, "it's three in the morning."

Laughter was the reply he got and Kenshin had half a mind to cut the line off. But Sano continued, "Surely your best friend has three years of experience of your schedule. Enough of your busy life though, the fox and the rest have been complaining that you've gone missing from the face of the earth."

"Haha." Kenshin replied dryly.

"Shall we meet soon?" Sano suggested, "Even later might be good."

"I don't know. I need sleep. Call you later." Feeling his energy levels reaching zero, Kenshin cut the line amidst Sano's words of protest. And as an afterthought, he pressed the button to turn off his phone, but fell into slumber even before the phone blinked goodbye. His breaths slowly evened out and softly resonated in his room in deep sleep, his phone sliding onto the bed with a soft thump as Kenshin's hand went limp.

x

Kenshin woke up to sunlight piercing his eyes and he inwardly cursed at the burst of brightness, scrunching his face. He let out a small groan, his neck stiff from the awkward position he fell asleep in. Despite himself, he spun his head to his digital table clock and squinted as he waited for his eyes to adjust to the light. Eleven o'clock. Kenshin considered going back to sleep but he felt hot, dirty, sweaty, smelly and everything disgusting, wondering if he could even fall back into slumber in the state he was in. Sighing, he pushed himself out of bed and headed to the bathroom, pulling off all the pieces of his clothing one by one, letting them pile in a heap on the floor. Kenshin made a mental note to clean the house later. He got cranky in messy environments.

As he turned on the faucet, cold streams of water hit his naked body and he groaned in pleasure as it blocked the sweltering heat of summer. Kenshin relished the cold for a few moments before lathering his long, red hair in shampoo. He took his time, partly not welcoming the fact that outside the shower was as hot as a sauna. But just as he rinsed off his hair, his loud doorbell began to chime. He was not expecting anyone today, so he shrugged and decided to ignore his visitor. It was probably some salesman anyway. Kenshin continued to rinse his hair.

After three chimes the person decided to stop pressing the doorbell, but Kenshin could still feel presence outside. It was then his door started to bang incessantly and he immediately knew who it was. Cursing loudly, he turned off the water, grabbed his towel and wrapped it around his waist. His neighbours were going to give him another warning if he didn't stop that rooster head.

Kenshin swung open the door and was about to give Sano a death glare when he noticed that Sano wasn't alone. There were two girls behind him, their eyes wide in shock and gawking at the sight he presented before them. There was a moment of silence before the girl he knew, Megumi, covered her mouth in a small gasp but the other girl he didn't know let out a small shriek, her hands covering her face.

Sano laughed.

x

Kaoru had been briefed about who she was going to meet, but she did not expect to be greeted by the steaming, almost erotic, scene in front of her.

Kenshin, as she remembered Megumi mention, was half naked and very, very wet, with only a towel loosely hanging around his small waist that left very little to imagination. He must have been in a middle of a shower. Although he was of a small stature, his taut, sleek muscle gave off an undeniably masculine and powerful aura. His long, damp red hair flowed down his shoulders in wet strings, a few clumps clinging onto his face and chest. Narrow violet eyes that sparked of gold stared at her for a few moments, his lips pursed into grim line. His chiseled, but oh-so-pretty face was hooded under his wet bangs and had a deep cross-shaped scar that was etched on his left cheek. Kaoru suddenly couldn't breathe. She decided that she couldn't take it anymore and burrowed her face in her hands with a small shriek, trying to mentally erase what she saw.

"Sano," his deadly voice reached her ears and sent shivers down her spine. "What is the meaning of this?"

"We're going to the beach!" Sano declared, oblivious to Kenshin's death stare.

"What?"

Sano proceeded to barge into the room before Kenshin could protest. Kenshin turned instinctively and the towel that had been resting dangerously on his hip came _undone_. Kenshin immediately turned his back towards the gaping girls and managed to grab his falling towel in time before his naked butt was fully exposed. He tried not to imagine the looks on their faces, or the look on his own face. Kenshin gave Sano another glare before he went back to his bathroom and slammed it shut. Sano made a motion with his hand to invite the girls in, but they stood frozen at the entrance.

"We'll just wait here." Megumi croaked.

Sano looked at them in confusion, but gave a small shrug and strolled into Kenshin's small apartment, making himself at home. He heard the door close behind him and was surprised that the girls would lock themselves out, but then, he would never understand them. Why were they letting go one of the best chances to check out Kenshin's hot bod?

Kenshin came out of the bathroom, but this time fully clothed, his hair still damp and loosely tied at the base of his neck. Sano was standing in the middle of his room with a wide smirk, but he didn't see the girls in his room. He looked around expectantly, wondering where they were. He picked up his clothes that were left on the floor and threw it into a basket, conscious of a guest inside his messy house. "They're outside waiting for you." Sano declared and nudged Kenshin towards the door, "Come on! We haven't got all day."

"Wait." Kenshin demanded, turning to face Sano fully with a peeved face. "What the hell is going on?" He narrowed his eyes and frowned at Sano. "You just barge in, kidnap me to a beach with people I don't even know?" He waved his hands towards the door and felt his voice raise with his temper. Never mind that he thought the wide, azure eyed stranger was cute. "You might be my best friend, Sano, but your antics is going off board!"

"Kenshin, Kenshin, calm down." Sano tried to pacify him and placed both hands on his shoulder. "Megumi and I missed you. It's your rare off day. It's my rare off day. It's Megumi's rare off day! I called you yesterday because I wanted to tell you about today's event, but you cut me off! You left me with no choice, Kenshin." His brown eyes danced with excitement at Kenshin while his friend could only stare back. "We called Jou-chan along because I didn't want to leave you alone if I decide to go down on Megumi." Sano laughed and Kenshin rolled his eyes.

The door creaked open and Megumi poked her head in, her voice tinged with irritation. "Are you guys done yet? We're tired standing outside."

"Yes madam, just give us a few more minutes!" Sano mock saluted her. Megumi gave an exasperated sigh and directed her attention to Kenshin, speaking in a softer tone, "Do remember to grab some spare clothes, towels and sandals, Ken-san." She gave Kenshin her signature foxy smile before closing the door.

Kenshin stood frozen, his emotions stuck somewhere between peeved and bewildered. He smelled something fishy going on. Sano's eyes was brimming with excitement, and he had not seen Megumi bare her foxy smile to him since she started dating Sano. He snapped out of his thoughts when Sano gave him a firm nudge and Kenshin sighed, resigned to his fate. Might as well make out the most of today; At least he was in good company. He prepared the items as instructed by Megumi and stuffed them into a small bag, wondering when was the last time he went to the beach with friends. _Friends,_ Kenshin mused. _Do I even dare to call them friends? _

Sano cleared his throat, waiting at the door. Kenshin blinked and realised he had paused his motions halfway. Mentally shaking the thought out of his head, he zipped his bag close, turned off the lights and made his way out with Sano.

As Kenshin stepped out of the door, he heard Megumi and the other girl chatting but the sound stopped when he appeared. Megumi looked amused while her friend looked a little distressed. Shrugging, he locked the door and catched up with them as they started making their way to the car. In the lift down, they discussed about who would be driving. Sano was cancelled out almost immediately.

"I would love to drive, Ken-san, but I'm still feeling the after effects of last night's party." Megumi said apologetically, "Would you mind driving while Kaoru navigates? The beach shouldn't be more than an hours drive away. It is my car, not Sano's, so it should be comfortable enough for you."

So the azure eyed girl was Kaoru. "That will be fine." Kenshi nodded, looking at her from the side of his eyes and taking in her full form. She was just slighter shorter than him, with long, black hair falling loosely on her shoulders and the length of her back. Her wide azure eyes promised stubbornness, but when she laughed at Megumi's bickering with Sano, Kenshin sucked in a deep breath at how her voice, laced with innocence, seemed to resonate within his ears and mind. Kaoru glanced over and noticed his eyes on her. She stopped laughing and blinked in surprise, but offered a weak smile.

Kenshin felt his heart jump, unsure if it was due to Kaoru's smile or the sudden ping of the elevator. Mentally shaking himself, he hastily smiled back at Kaoru before following Sano to the car. Megumi unlocked the car and passed him the keys. He took the driver's seat and gave himself a minute to get used to the driving settings. Accelerator, check. Brakes, check. Gear, check, Handwheel, check. It was an auto and Kenshin decided that it shouldn't be much of a problem. Turning to his left, he saw Kaoru buckle up. Sano poked his head in between them from the rear seat and grinned at Kenshin.

"Kenshin, I'm counting on you!" Sano said and as his right hand heavily pat Kenshin's shoulder from the back. Kenshin sighed and nodded, a small smile escaping his lips as the excited atmosphere started to seep into him as well.

"Enoshima?" Kenshin checked with Kaoru. She gave a nod while concentrating on pressing some buttons on the inbuilt GPS screen. "If we take the highway it should be quite straightforward…" Kaoru said uncertainly, biting her lower lip. She was squirming in her seat and Kenshin could sense that she was not very experienced with cars or roads. "Don't worry," he smiled reassuringly at her, "I have passed by that place a couple of times, so it shouldn't be much of a problem. Just let me know when we need to get off the highway."

Kaoru seemed a little relieved and nodded, her shoulders falling as some of the tension faded away. Megumi and Sano were quiet at the back seat, intently listening to the trip briefing between Kenshin and Kaoru. Kenshin took a deep breath and started the engines. Off they go!

x

Forty minutes into the drive and Kenshin could tell that the couple at the back seat were asleep, with Sano's deep snoring and Megumi's even breaths. Kaoru was trying to fight her own drowsiness, but kept jerking up and letting off small curses under her breath. Kenshin chuckled. "You can nap if you want to," He whispered to her teasingly, "I'm perfectly fine on my own." Kaoru seemed a little startled at his words, but fervently shook her head in protest. "I'm fine," She replied stubbornly, shaking herself awake as she sat up straight. "And it would be rude to the driver to let him drive while the others sleep. You aren't a chauffeur, and I'm supposed to guide you."

Kenshin was surprised at her little outburst but grinned at her stubborn nature, just like her eyes had told him. "Thank you." He stole a glance at her and smiled. A small blush tinged Karou's cheeks. "You're welcome." She shyly smiled back at him and checked the GPS. "Oh, looks like we have to make a left turn soon."

"Roger." Kenshin said and kept his eyes on the road. A blushing Kaoru was too distracting for his nerves. "How far more ahead?"

"500 meters."

A comfortable silence settled between them as they peered at the road ahead. A big signboard with an arrow pointing left to Enoshima appeared into sight and Kenshin made a signal to turn. Much to his surprise, there were not as many cars as he expected, until he realised it was a Wednesday._ Sano and Megumi must have taken a day off_, he realised. After exiting the highway, the roads became narrower and the path was full of turns. Kaoru instructed him to turn at junctions with a tempo that seemed to sync with his driving. Kenshin was impressed by her ability to read his movements. Soon they were at the bridge that connected the main island to the small island of Enoshima and Kaoru heaved a huge sigh of relief. Kenshin smiled to himself and drove on, looking out for signs that directed him to a carpark. Distant sounds and cheers from the beach could be heard from the left and Kaoru took in the sight of the crowd. Sano and Megumi were still fast asleep.

There were a number of visitors that day, but not very packed and Kenshin managed to easily get a car lot. He turned off the engine and Kaoru twisted her head to look at the sleeping couple at the back. "Sano, Megumi, wake up!" She hollered, her hand slapping the couple's legs. Kenshin choked down a silent laughter at her actions and decided to get out of the car before he burst into laughter. Startled voices were drowned as Kenshin closed the car door and he raised his hands above his head, stretching his back and butt that stiffened during the drive. Kaoru laughed at the sight of him from inside the car, hoping he couldn't hear her. The image of his almost naked butt from the early afternoon flashed back in her mind and she abruptly stopped laughing, mentally slapping herself for recalling such improper (but sexy) scenarios. She followed the couple and made her way out of the car. They bickered at each other while Sano picked up their belongings from the boot. Kenshin handed the key back to Megumi and she locked the car, thanking him for the drive.

"Let's head to the beach! Aoshi and Misao should be here already." Sano shouted. Kenshin was surprised when he heard Aoshi and Misao's names. Were they here as well? Sano looked around the carpark for the nearest exit to the beach and started walking awkwardly, the weight of the bags he carried pulling him down.

"Damn Megumi, what did you put in the bags?" Sano whined as he struggled. Kenshin could only imagine how heavy the bags were if Sano was complaining about the weight. Kenshin offered to help Sano but Megumi stopped him, lashing back a warning at Sano, "Excuse me. It was _your_ idea to stuff all those stupid items into the bags! You begged and promised to carry the bags if you could bring them along!" Sano whimpered as Megumi pulled his ears and dragged him forward, walking up the stairs. Kenshin shook his head in amusement and he heard Kaoru laughing beside him. Sano and Megumi went ahead of them, creating an awkward tension between him and Kaoru.

Kenshin cleared his throat and tried to find a neutral topic, "They are always fighting, aren't they?"

Kaoru laughed lightly and nodded, not looking at him in the eye. "But they look happy together." She commented softly.

Clear blue skies and the smell of the sea hit their senses as they reached the top of the stairs. It was a perfect summer afternoon - the beach was white and buzzing with excitement, with occasional bursts of laughter coming from the crowd. Kenshin caught sight of Sano and Megumi in front of him amongst the sea of people. A small, petite, bikini clad jumping girl was waving enthusiastically in their direction and Kenshin recognised her as Aoshi's wife. He was sitting down on a beach mat next to her, his bare back facing them. "Sano, Megumi, Himura, Kaoru! Over here!" The small girl cupped her mouth with her hands and hollered at them.

Kaoru's eyes lit up at the sight of the small girl and ran over to her. "Misao!" She happily called her friend. Kenshin slowly followed behind. Sano and Megumi were already laying out the big beach mats and Aoshi stood up to help. He gave a small bow to Kenshin and then promptly ignored him. Misao and Kaoru hugged each other in greeting, obviously happy to meet each other. Once all of them had settled down, the late comers went to change into their swimsuits.

Kaoru stood uncomfortably inside the changing room with Megumi. She had only worn a swimsuit once or twice in her life, but she was now in a _bikini_ and very self conscious of all the bare skin she was going to show everyone.

"I can't believe you switched my swimsuit to this!" Kaoru huffed at Megumi with a red face, her hands awkwardly feeling the flimsy material of the turquoise bikini and her eyes staring at the exposed skin of her breast. Megumi clucked her tongue at waved one finger in front of Kaoru's face. "For god's sake, Kaoru, that swimsuit you were about to bring was absolutely horrible. You're not in high school anymore! Besides, you won't be the only girl in a bikini. You might probably stand out like a sore thumb if you actually wore that snorkling swimsuit to sunbathe. What would Ken-san think of you?" Kaoru snorted. "And no snorting! Now come and help me tie my bikini please." Megumi sniffed and turned her back towards Kaoru. Kaoru sighed and helped her tie a double knot on her dark purple bikini. Megumi was a curvy person but not too plum - Kaoru admired her porcelain skin and proportionate body. She sighed at her own scrawny body. "Should I tie a triple knot so that Sano can't pull it off?" She asked Megumi sarcastically and Megumi rolled her eyes. "I'll whack him before he can touch the strings of the bikini."

Feeling amused, she gave a friendly slap on her friend's back to tell her she was done. They gathered their belongings and made their way out of the changing room. Kaoru started to squirm when they reached the entrance but Megumi grabbed her wrists and pulled her along, her eyes sparkling. "Come on!" She pulled Kaoru into the sunlight and a fresh wave of excitement washed over Kaoru.

They had a hard time finding their way back as a big beach umbrella had been opened during their absence, confusing them for a moment. They pushed their way through the crowd and Kaoru winced when her bare skin came into contact with other people. Luckily, Megumi's firm grasp of her hands never left hers. As they approached their mat, Kaoru could see that Sano and Kenshin were already sitting down in the shade and chatting with Misao, who was sprawled over a shut eyed Aoshi. All the men were only clad in bermudas and Kaoru laughed at Sano's chest hair.

"I didn't know you had a thing for hairy men." She teased Megumi. Megumi sighed and put her hand on her chest dramatically. "I only found out after a month into our relationship," she said in mock sadness, "and it was too late to back out." Sano noticed them approaching and gave a loud wolf whistle at their direction. Megumi's foxy grin spread across her face as she sauntered towards Sano, with Kaoru meekly following behind her. The men made space for the ladies to sit down, and Misao passed them some sun lotion. Sano made a move to put his arms around Megumi but she gave him a hard smack across the face.

"Since you're all back, let's go and hit the sea!" She squealed, pulling Aoshi up. Aoshi opened his eyes and did not protest as he let Misao drag him into the water. Sano' eyes were all solely on Megumi and he also motioned her to go the sea with him. Megumi glanced worriedly at Kaoru and asked, "Come follow us?" Kaoru shook her head at smiled warmly at their affection, shooing her friend off with a wave of her hand as Sano pulled her up. Megumi sighed but followed Sano as he went down the sandy path towards the ocean. Their mat was considerably near the waters, so Kaoru could see them clearly from where they were.

But the thought of her friends became far, far away as she felt a set of male eyes land on her on her.

"Why don't you follow them?" Kenshin remarked and Kaoru shivered at the baritone of his voice.

"I have to look after the belongings." She replied lamely, not daring to face him. Squirming at this masculine presence, she decided to discreetly move an inch away from him.

"I can look after them for you, go ahead and have fun." Kenshin pushed her. Kaoru got annoyed at turned to throw a retort at him, but the words got stuck in her throat when she took in the full sight of Kenshin.

He was practically dripping male sex testosterone as he laid on his side, his head propped up with one elbow and looking at her. His red hair seemed to dance like flames as they swirled along with the wind and catch the sun rays. His small but well defined muscles on his light tanned chest and stomach called out to Kaoru's hands to worship them. In the morning it was wet sexy, now it was dry sexy. Why did this man's body have to be so hot, inviting, and _seducing_ her? Kenshin quirked a smile when he caught her blank stare and called her, "Miss Kaoru? You can leave the things here to me."

Kaoru snapped out of her erotic reverie and almost shouted at him, "No! I will stay here. Why don't you go join them instead and let me stay?" She turned her head away in embarrassment and inwardly groaned at herself. Why was she acting like an idiotic virgin? It was not her first time exposed to a man's body, but she knew that none of her previous boyfriends could compare the the steamy redhead that was lying next to her. She scooted further away from him.

"I'm sorry if I took you by surprise." He apologized sincerely, sitting up from his position. "If you don't mind staying here with me, what about we grab a drink and talk?" Kenshin suggested, pulling beer out from the icebox and passing one can to her. She accepted the beer, both of them opening the can with a loud hiss. Kenshin lifted his can towards her and grinned, "Cheers." Kaoru smiled and relaxed at his friendliness, bring up her own beer can and bumped into his. "Cheers."

After half an hour, Kaoru found herself comfortably chatting with her new friend and was surprised to find herself enjoying the conversation. She learned that his full name was Himura Kenshin, was 28 years old, was ex-colleagues with Aoshi and Sano, and is currently his own boss dealing with sales of exotic Japanese swords. He had asked how she got to know their mutual friends and Kaoru had explained that Misao and Megumi were her university housemates years ago. Even after they graduated, they kept in touch and slowly, she was also introduced to Sano and Aoshi. Misao had returned to the mat once and gave them a big grin before taking the beach ball away and disappearing into the ocean again.

"I recall," Kaoru started, watching Misao run towards Aoshi, Megumi and Sano, "That Megumi mentioned that you were skilled in Kendo when I was on the way to your house. Is that true?"

Kenshin suddenly choked on his second can of beer and stared at her for a second. "Kendo?" He repeated after her.

"That was what she said," She shrugged, slightly perplexed at his reaction. "Was she wrong?" She brought the can up to her lips and found that there was no liquid left. Shaking the can, she reached out to take another beer when she felt Kenshin press cold metal into her hands. Raising her eyebrows in surprise at his swift motions she didn't even catch, she bobbed her head in thanks and opened the can, taking a big gulp of beer.

Kenshin crinkled a smile. "Not Kendo, but Kenjutsu." He shifted uncomfortably and Kaoru could feel he was hesitant to continue the subject. Kaoru wanted to tell him that he didn't have to talk about things that made him uncomfortable, but Kenshin cut her before she could speak. "I used to practice with live swords, but not anymore."

Kaoru nodded, a little surprised but not letting it show. "Wow, I see. But Kenjutsu is similar to Kendo, you know." Kaoru replied as she dunked the cold, bitter liquid down her throat and let out a sound of content from her throat. Kenshin felt his heart flutter with relief at her response.

"Yes, I suppose they are similar." Kenshin smiled into his own can of beer as he brought it up to his lips. "Why did you suddenly ask about Kendo, Miss Kaoru?"

"Kaoru is fine, _Mister_ Kenshin. Don't make me repeat myself." She gritted at him, posing her can of beer in her hands and threatening it to throw the contents on him. "Regarding your question, I practice Kendo so I was curious. Maybe you could be my new sparring partner!" She giggled.

Kenshin had a nagging feeling that Kaoru was getting tipsy. He eyed at the beer in her hands, wondering if he should stop her from drinking. It was then Misao came bouncing back and shouting, "Karou! Come join us! Himura too!"

"Oh, I am fine here, Miss Misao," Kenshin started, but Misao was already pulling him up. For a girl her size, he was amazed at her strength. "Aoshi will take over the guard duty," she babbled on, dragging him and Kaoru towards the waters, "Don't be a spoilsport and play with us!"

Kaoru shrieked as her feet hit the cold waters, laughing as she kicked the water onto Misao. Time seemed to slow down as Kenshin took in the scene and could not pull his eyes away from the female in the turquoise bikini. On the beach mats, he did not notice those bumps on her chest, those flat, toned stomach, those slender legs, those _curves_ on her body. Her blue eyes looked into his soul; the sound of her melodic voice rang in his mind. Suddenly, a strong arm wrapped around his neck. "Like what you see, eh?" Sano's soft whisper drifted into his ears.

Kenshin elbowed Sano hard in the ribs, earning him a sound of protest, but Kenshin did not reply him. He would readily admit, he did not only like what he saw, he was _fascinated_ by what was presented before him. The swish on her hips, her hair that blew with the wind, the fingers that brushed the bangs from her eyes - he took it all in like a drunkard man.

Kaoru did not notice Kenshin's intense stare as she was splashing around with Megumi and Misao, but also probably due to her alcohol intake. "Kaoru, don't tell me you drank the beer!" Misao complained. Kaoru's eyes were half glazed and her body was swaying. "I didn't drink that much." She lied. Megumi covered her face in a groan and Misao immediately retorted, "You know your alcohol tolerance sucks! You knocked yourself out after one glass of wine at my wedding and missed half of the ceremony! How many cans of beer did you drink?"

"One…" Kaoru tried to lie, but Misao and Megumi looked at her pointedly. "And a half. Look! I know I'm tipsy, but I can still think logically. Alright? Megumi! You're the doctor, you should know I'm not drunk!"

"Yet." Megumi finished for her, but looked amused.

She abruptly glanced over her shoulder before taking a step closer to her friends, speaking softly to Misao and Kaoru. "Okay, so you remember the drill? It's almost time and Aoshi should have gotten hold the cake by now."

The girls suddenly got serious. Their expressions were solemn and nodded in agreement as they listened to her. It was nearly sunset and the crowd on the beach had started to disperse.

"Me, Misao and Sano will pretend we're tired and need to go back and rest. Kaoru, you buy us some time by keeping him busy here. We shouldn't take more than ten minutes. In any case, try to keep his vision towards the sea. Got that? We'll just shout for your attention when we're done."

Kaoru squirmed but nodded her head. She didn't know how she was going to entertain the sexy redhead, but she was going to give it a shot. She managed to keep it a secret till now, and she would not give up and spoil the efforts of her friends who had planned this surprise for over a month.

Kenshin was apprehensive when he saw the girls huddled together. They were discussing something. However, they broke apart and Megumi turned to face him and Sano, who was relaxing on the shallow waters, the sea up to his waist.

"Ken-san," Megumi called out, "Misao and I will be going back to the mat to rest. Can you keep Kaoru company? She wants to stroll along the beach for awhile more." Kenshin blinked and mentally cheered at his good luck. "Sure, I'll be glad to." Kenshin answered her, a smile spreading on his face. Sano stood up from the waters and followed Megumi, who starting walking back to the mats with Misao. "I'll go dry myself up. Go ahead with Kaoru, Kenshin." He turned his head back and gave his friend a sly grin.

Kaoru walked up beside him. Her faced held an expression of forced bravery. She pointed to the shoreline and asked, "Shall we walk down here?" Kenshin smiled and fell into pace with her slow stroll.

The sun was setting, it's golden orb just touching the horizon, the skies turning into different shades of orange and red. The sound of the waves crashing filled in the comfortable silence between them as they walked, the waters occasionally washing over their feet. Many beach goers had left, and the rest were packing up. The beach was bare and a big contrast to when they first arrived. The lack of people, however, was what made the stroll comfortable, each one soaking up the coziness of the presence of the other.

Kaoru had hoped that Kenshin would be mum until Megumi called them, but he had decided to break the silence.

"It is a beautiful sunset." He murmured, gazing into the sea.

Kaoru nodded in agreement. She did not trust her voice right now. She was tipsy and with her heart was nervously pounding in her chest, her voice might come out as an incomprehensible squeak.

Kenshin sensed her uneasiness. "Why don't we head back? The sun is setting and it will be dark soon."

Kaoru panicked and her eyes widened. _Not now!_ Her mind screamed.

She instinctively grabbed his arm before he could turn and shouted, "No! Not yet. We still have time." Kenshin raised his eyebrows in surprise. During the stroll, she had avoided facing him in the face. But now her face was flushed, looking right into him, and the orange glow of the sunset radiating on her face made her so damn _beautiful_.

"Let's walk down a little more before going back." Kaoru rambled, her mind furiously trying to think up of an excuse to keep him engaged and not turn his head back. _Misao! Hurry!_ Kaoru mentally screamed. She turned and wanted to pull him down along the sandy beach, but miscalculated her footing as water pulled along her ankles.

Kaoru gave a shriek of alarm as she felt herself lose her balance and fall. But strong arms wrapped around her torso and jerked her up. She was pressed against a warm, sturdy chest and she could feel her exposed skin brush against taut muscles. Her nose was pressed against his collarbone and she whiffed in a scent of lemongrass. She gave him a blank stare as Kenshin worriedly looked down at her.

"Are you alright?", he asked Kaoru, his beautiful violet eyes laced with concern.

His chest rumbled as he spoke and she shivered in his warm embrace, aware that his fingers were touching her bare skin. Kaoru slowly nodded her head. He had not let her go, but she was not complaining. The air had grown chilly and she welcomed the warmth of his body.

"We should head back." Kenshin whispered, his voice rough. He spoke as if he was holding back something. Kaoru wanted to agree, but her mind kicked back into action and she remembered. _No no no, not now! _She thought in horror. Kenshin was slowly losing his grip on her, turning around to head back.

In her desperation, Kaoru instinctively caught his moving face with her hands and forced it to look back down at her, in hope of preventing his vision to stray to the beach mats. But as she focused on his face, Kaoru stopped breathing. Kenshin's dark, violet eyes were staring intensely at her, his red hair like fire in the glow of the setting sun. She realised how close her face was to his; She could feel his breaths on her lips. Kaoru changed her gaze to Kenshin's mouth. The pants that came out of his lips were so distracting, so sensual, so _inviting_. Before she could stop herself, she lifted her head and closed the distance between them, squeezing her eyes shut, pressing her lips against his own. She would regret kissing a stranger later, but for now, she gave in to her intoxicated, tipsy brain.

Kenshin was holding back with every single ounce of willpower he had when Kaoru had looked up at him with her dazed azure eyes and those damnable kissable lips of hers. But when she came onto him, his willpower was torn into shreds. Kenshin tightened his embrace, holding her as he pushed a tongue to nudge open her lips and when he succeeding in his conquest, started to ravish her mouth.

Kaoru let out a throaty squeak as Kenshin explored her mouth with his tongue, his fingers giving of a burning sensation on the skin his fingers touched. Her hands had moved from his face to wrap around his neck in effort to support herself, his hair catching themselves in between her fingers. She felt light headed and she could her heart bursting in her chest. Her legs felt wobbly but he deftly kept her standing, his arms protectively enfolding her in his embrace. Time seemed to stop as they moulded together, melting in each other's kiss.

Shouts ensued from a distance away and the whistling of fire sparkles distracted the kissers. They pulled apart and turned to face the direction of the voices. The quartet were walking towards them, laughing and smiling at their act of endearment. Sano was whistling, Misao was running while holding the sparkles alongside Megumi, and Aoshi was holding a cake with lighted candles, one of his hand trying to block the wind from blowing out the candles.

Kenshin felt his breath get stuck in his throat. Kaoru gently removed herself from his embrace and laughed with them.

"Happy Birthday, Himura! Good job!" Misao shouted, laughing gleefully. Sano and Megumi also shouted their congratulatory greetings, waving their sparkles. Aoshi said nothing, but offered a rare quirk of a smile.

"Happy Birthday, Kenshin." Kaoru whispered shyly. Kenshin snapped his eyes back at the girl he had kissed moments ago. The sun was disappearing into the horizon, and the last rays of sunlight were shining on her beaming face. Kenshin felt tears well up in his eyes.

That was why Sano had excited brown eyes in the morning. And why Megumi had given him her foxy grin. And why Kaoru had kissed him to stop him from turning back.

They had planned a birthday surprise for him.

Given the nature of his previous job, Kenshin never celebrated his birthdays. He was never given a chance, and never had the opportunity to celebrate it with friends.

_Friends_.

He looked at Sano and Aoshi, Megumi, Misao and Kaoru. He had only known them for a short time, but he knew, that they have had already imprinted their footsteps in his ground. They belonged in his life.

His friends. And potential girlfriend.

He will thank Sano later.

They gathered in a circle around him, chorusing a birthday song. Kenshin could only stand dumbstruck as he looked at the cake, embarrassed yet overjoyed at the same time. It was strawberry shortcake, his favourite. In the center of the cake wrote in cursive chocolate icing letters, "Happy 29th Birthday, Kenshin"... They actually remembered his age. The song ended and everybody cheered while he blew the candles. The few people left on the beach joined the celebration and clapped for him as well.

"Let's eat cake! Cake!" Misao chirped as Aoshi, Sano and Megumi turned and walked towards their mats, purposefully ignoring Kenshin and Kaoru behind them. Before Kaoru could react, Kenshin clasped her hand and dragged her forward. Kaoru blushed at his affectionate gesture, and gave him a soft smile. Kenshin felt himself smile along with her. "Come on," he whispered warmly, interlacing his fingers with hers. "Let's go have cake, together."

_~Fin~_

* * *

><p>It has been a long, long time since I wrote. My writing skills are rusty and I felt like I was learning my composition skills all over again. However, if I don't try, I will never improve. Do let me know your thoughts, suggestions and remarks if you have any; they are all very welcome. Thank you for reading till the end!<p>

And, I might write an epilogue for this. _Might_. Because nothing is ever complete without lime, right?

I would also like to take this chance to thank all the readers who left a review on my last RK piece, Underlying Affection. You don't know how much joy it brought me, even today, although it was written years ago.

-zhuang


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